Directed by Sir Ridley Scott (who also directed Black Hawk Down and Gladiator), and nominated for two academy awards in 2008, American Gangster was one of the top-grossing box office hits in the U.S. in 2007.
Written by the Oscar-winning Steve Zaillian (who also wrote Schindler’s List and Gangs of New York), it is based on the true success story of a cult figure from the streets of circa 1970s Harlem, New York. Nobody notices “Frank Lucas”, the quiet driver of one of the inner-city’s leading black crime bosses; but when his Boss dies suddenly, Frank exploits the opening in the power structure to build his own empire and create his own version of the American dream.
Academy award winner Denzel Washington (who also starred in Training Day and The Hurricane) plays the role of Frank Lucas. Through ingenuity and a strict business ethic, he comes to rule the inner-city drug trade, keeping it in the family wherever possible, and flooding the streets with a “purer product” at a lower price, outplaying all the other leading crime syndicates.
Ritchie Roberts (played by Russell Crowe of Gladiator and A Beautiful Mind) is an outcast cop, close enough to the streets to feel a shift of control in the drug underworld. Roberts often seems to be fighting two battles – trying to get some leads on who is behind the “Blue Magic” on the streets, and having run-ins with the largely crooked New York Police Narcotics Department who are astonished when Roberts’ findings point to a black drug baron, rather than the Italian mafia that they became used to.
Naturally, the film is dominated by Washington and Crowe, as they approach a confrontation that only one of them can win. The supporting cast is huge and includes Cuba Gooding Jr., Chiwetel Ejiofor, Josh Brolin and Ruby Dee (whose role as Mama Lucas earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress).
American Gangster is a film that will keep you enthralled for almost 2 1/2 hours. Watch out for the extraordinary twist at the end of this awesome tale.
Submitted by Jermaine J., Boca Raton, FL.
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